Diary of a Chambermaid - Criterion Collection

Starring:Jeanne Moreau, Georges GÃ©ret, Daniel Ivernel, FranÃ§oise Lugagne, Muni, Jean Ozenne, Michel Piccoli, JoÃ«lle Bernard, FranÃ§oise Bertin, Aline Bertrand, Pierre Collet, Michel Dacquid, Madeleine Damien, Marc Eyraud, Jean Franval, Gilberte GÃ©niat, Gabriel Gobin, Bernard Musson, Jeanne PÃ©rez, Marcel RouzÃ©
Director: Luis BuÃ±uel
Studio: Criterion
Product Type: DVD

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Considered surrealist Luis Buñuel most linear film, Diary of a Chambermaid is an excellent introduction to this director's dark satirical world of social criticism. Loosely based on Mirbeau's Journal D'Une Femme de Chambre, Buñuel uses the beautiful French countryside as a backdrop to ruthlessly display his favorite subjects: Catholicism, the bourgeoisie, nationalism, and moral decay. Jeanne Moreau is Celestine, a chambermaid from Paris who takes a job at a picturesque country estate. When the body of the staff's daughter is discovered raped and murdered, Celesine does whatever is necessary to uncover the girl's killer. She quickly learns that her new employees, though apparent pillars of nouveau aristocracy, are as morally corrupt as the girl's murderer. Though extremely linear for Buñuel, Diary of a Chambermaid does not lack for profound, symbolic imagery and cryptic revelations. --Rob Bracco

Description

This wicked adaptation of the Octave Mirbeau novel is classic Luis Buñuel. Jeanne Moreau is Celestine, a beautiful Parisian domestic who, upon arrival at her new job at an estate in provincial 1930s France, entrenches herself in sexual hypocrisy and scandal with her philandering employer (Buñuel regular Michel Piccoli). Filmed in luxurious black-and-white Franscope, Diary of a Chambermaid is a raw-edged tangle of fetishism and murder-and a scathing look at the burgeoning French fascism of the era.

Customer Reviews:

Half-Right.......2007-01-18

It is unfortunate that politically Bunuel could only see the evils of Fascism, ignoring the Siamese twin of Socialism. For artists, maybe even artists of today, Socialism seems to offer hope for mankind, a paradise for the movie-going proletariat, but understand, though only half right, this political film is cinema as good as any Serge Einstein.

All this talk we hear in America of suave French sexes and their smooth, sophisticated approach to natural forces, after viewing Bunuel many times, Truffaut and Goddard as well, I say phsaw! The French of all classes seem to skip dating and go right to groping or raping. The brash male demands favors and the demur Jean Moreau merely nods her head, manipulating men without passion. The raped child or servant, hey that's real sex - I guess. The kindest man in the film is senile and a foot fetishist. You get the idea: French society is rotten to the core and in the 1930's blindly charging towards Jew killing and goose-stepping. That's half-right.

Stunning character study!.......2006-12-31

The personal dilemma of maid trapped in the nasty grips of the fascism in 1939 France. But meanwhile Bunuel takes the opportunity to make a demolishing existential exploration of the bourgeoisie at those times. Maybe I am speculating but to my view this film was the seminal seed for the discrete charm of the bourgeoisie, eight years after.

"There is not any serious issue that may not be expressed through the comedy" Alejandro Casona

Extraordinary film. Don' t miss it !

Not Bunuel's best........2006-05-18

The Diary of a Chambermaid (Luis Bunuel, 1964)

When one sees that a film is directed by Luis Bunuel, normally a savagely funny satirist of bourgeois sensibilities, and based on a novel by Octave Mirbeau, that most boring of fin-de-siecle decadents, one goes into the resulting movie with a few preconceptions. Diary of a Chambermaid, while an interesting little movie, will fulfill none of them.

The gorgeous Jeanne Moreau (almost eighty years of age as I write this, and still going strong) stars as Celestine, the titular character, who goes to work in the sticks for a decidedly strange family. The beginning starts out in an amusing enough Upstairs/Downstairs mode, with Celestine trying to find her place in the ranks of both the house's owners and the hired help. It's relatively obvious that every male in the household is sniffing after her skirts-- the foot-fetishist grandfather, the oversexed man of the house, the brutish gardener (shades of Lady Chatterley's Lover can't have been coincidental, given how fresh its obscenity trial must have been in the minds of Bunuel and fellow screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere). Even the neighbor seems to have his eye on her. Things take a drastic turn when a local child is murdered (there's no mystery here, though; we are shown who the murderer is just before the deed occurs). Celestine is sure she knows the murderer's identity, and takes it upon herself to come up with the evidence necessary to send him to jail.

What will stay with the viewer long after the film is over is the backdrop, more than anything-- the rising tide of French fascism so starkly depicted in the movie. Other than that, there's not much to it that isn't somewhat predictable; Bunuel is a great filmmaker, to be sure, but this one is one of his weaker efforts. He coaxes decent performances out of just about everyone in the film, but none of them really reach the heights he obtained in The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, for example; it's decently paced, but drags in spots. The one aspect of the film which can't be criticized (however minor those critcisms may be) is the camerawork; whoever scouted the locations did a fine, fine job.

An interesting movie, but not as good as Bunuel can be. ***

Dark, Sardonic, Amusing.......2005-04-03

What hypocrites people are, Bunuel seems to be saying in this amusing but rather sour look at French petit bourgeoise during the 1930s. Celestine (Jeanne Moreau) has come to work at the country estate of the Monteils. She's from Paris, shrewd and attractive, and a magnet for every man she meets. And what a collection there is. The woman of the house is frigid and finds more comfort in possessions and neatness than in her husband. Her husband, denied the pleasures of the bed, is constantly seeking relief from almost every female servant he can force himself on. His father in law, who lives with them, is an aging fetishist. Joseph, the gamekeeper, is a fascist. Their neighbor, Captain Mauger, is in a continuing state of frustrated rage against the Monteils. Celestine is cool and somewhat amused by it all, but ultimately decides to return to Paris. Then a young girl she met is raped and murdered in the woods. Celestine is sure she knows who the killer is and decides to stay. If the police can't find the evidence to capture him, she'll provide it one way or another.

Bunuel puts a jaundiced eye on everyone. The captain may may be convinced of the honor of the army, but he lies about his neighbor. The priest and confessor of the lady of the manor is called upon to give her marital advice, which he does by saying that twice a week is too much and she mustn't enjoy it. The father-in-law is over-civilized but with a penchant for soiled ladies' boots. Joseph raves on about order, faith and country, but believes a goose tastes better if it has been tortured before being killed.

And there is Celestine herself. She knows her power over these men but plays with them in a rather abstracted manner. She wants the person she believes killed the girl to be caught, and is prepared to bed him to do so. She ultimately marries the captain, who brings money and a certain position to her, but it hardly is a marriage of love or even affection. When the captain tells her he has changed his will, Celestine looks a little too thoughtful.

The first half of the movie is a sardonic and amusing look at manners, centered around Celestine. The second half of the movie is darker and not so amusing. Still, I enjoyed it quite a bit. The Criterion DVD image is in great shape.

Buñuel's "different" film.......2004-07-26

This Review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

This film, released in France under the title of Le Journal d'une femme de chambre, is based on the book of the same name by Octave Mirbeau. The film is a different release for the director, Luis Buñuel, who mostly did suurrealist films. While this film has a few surreal qualities to it, his other films have many more.

The story is about a woman who works for a family as a maid in a rural area of France. The family is somewhat odd, and their neighbors are big troublemakers. When her employer's daughter is found in the woods raped and murdered, she suspects the neighbors. The film then follows her efforts to prove her suspicions.

The Criterion release has numerous special features including a theatrical trailer. There are also is a video interview with screenwriter of the film, Jean-Claude Carrière, who was also Buñuel's colleague. There is also a transcript of an interview with Buñuel conducted in the late 1970's

This release is a good one for Buñuel fans.

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